Volvo Cars, the premium carmaker, today launches M, a new brand that will expand the company’s global mobility operations by providing dependable, on-demand access to cars and services through an intuitive app.

Moreover, M will learn about its user’s needs, preferences and habits, personalising the customer relationship. It will debut in Sweden and the US in the spring of 2019.

“Volvo Cars is becoming more than just a car company. We recognise that urban consumers are rethinking traditional car ownership. M is part of our answer. We are evolving to become a direct-to-consumer services provider under our new mission ‘Freedom to Move’,” said Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars president and chief executive.

M is developing proprietary learning technology that asks users about their specific needs instead of merely informing them where they can pick up a car.

“The services currently available mainly offer alternatives to a taxi or public transit,” said Bodil Eriksson, CEO of Volvo Car Mobility. “We’re focused on the way people use the cars they own, which sets us apart. We aim to provide a real alternative to that experience. It should enable us to live life on our terms, getting things done and maximising precious time. We see the opportunity to offer a premium experience.’”

In addition to a team of experienced and sought-after digital software engineers and leading talent, M draws on 20 years of learnings and data from Sunfleet, Volvo Car Group’s car-sharing pioneer. Sunfleet is the leading car sharing company in Sweden with 500,000 annual transactions and a fleet of 1,700 cars. It will be fully integrated into M in 2019, making the service available to all existing Sunfleet members.

“Mobility is undergoing a fundamental transformation and Volvo Cars is leading that change. The launch of M creates new sources of revenue for Volvo Cars and will be integral to the company’s ambition to build more than 5 million direct consumer relationships by the middle of the next decade,” said Mr Samuelsson.

“Stockholm, Sweden, will serve as M’s base of development and where we already conduct extensive testing. A broader Beta test will take place this autumn,” said Ms Eriksson.

Further information about the M service will be released later this year.

With the hills of Tuscany as the backdrop and in the company of fellow supercar motoring enthusiasts from around the globe over a few days, I recently tested the new Lamborghini Aventador S which has a new aerodynamic design, redeveloped suspension, increased power and new driving dynamics.

The ‘S’ is the suffix of previous enhanced Lamborghini models and defines a new benchmark for the V12 Lamborghini and indicates the new Aventador generation, redesigned to achieve maximum aerodynamic efficiency while accenting the Aventador’s complex, muscular dynamism.

According to Automobili Lamborghini Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stefano Domenicali, the Aventador S has a visionary design, cutting-edge technology with driving dynamics that elevates the concept of super sports cars to a new level.

A more aggressive nose and longer front splitter redirect airflow for better aerodynamic efficiency, improved engine cooling and increased cooling to the radiators. Two air ducts in the side of the front bumper reduce aerodynamic interference from the front tires and optimize wake flow to the rear radiator.

The rear of the Aventador S is dominated by a black diffuser, available on request in carbon fiber, characterized by a number of vertical fins that amplify the airflow effects, reduce drag through pressure recovery and generate downforce. Three single exhaust outlets exit through the rear bumper.

During the drive, we learnt how the rear wing, movable in three positions depending on speed and drive select mode, optimizes the car’s improved overall balance, working with vortex generators created in the front and rear of the chassis’ underside that maximize air flow as well as assist in brake cooling.

With the Aventador S design, the front downforce has been improved by more than 130% over the previous Aventador coupé. When the wing is in its optimum position the overall efficiency at high downforce is improved by over 50%, and in low drag by more than 400% compared to the previous model.

The Aventador S is redeveloped around a ‘total control concept’ to provide a superior drive, ride and performance; every aspect of the car’s suspension and electronic control systems has been advanced, with the goal of particularly enhanced control and driving emotion.

Also interesting is the smart Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Attiva (LDVA) control unit that manage these systems in the car. LDVA is the new brain of the car, which receives real time and precise information on body motion via input from all sensors of the car and defines the best set-up of all active systems that guarantee the best vehicle dynamics in each situation.

The Aventador S is more agile with a reduced turning radius, ensuring higher performance in curves and making it easy to maneuver in town and at low speeds. On the tracks, I tried all four different driving modes: STRADA, SPORT, CORSA and the new EGO mode, which influence the behavior of the traction (engine, gearbox, 4WD), steering (LRS, LDS, Servotronic) and suspension (LMS).

EGO is the new driving mode option. This provides several additional and individual set-up profiles, customizable by the driver’s preferred criteria for traction, steering and suspension within the STRADA, SPORT and CORSA settings.

In STRADA, the progressive damping is smoothed for better comfort and stability on rough roads. Torque is split 40/60 to the front and rear as standard: safe and stable with maximum adhesion, the car is easily driven and controlled.

In SPORT mode, the stabilizing effect of the Lamborghini Rear-wheel Steering allows up to 90% torque to the rear wheels for maximum sportiness and driving fun on curving roads. Driving precision and driver feedback is improved, while maintaining safety and without compromising on comfort.

While I drove mainly in SPORT mode, I tried the CORSA as well experiencing less intrusive dynamic and traction control intervention while maintaining driving precision and traction. In this mode, high levels of damping force maximize driver feeling and feedback from driver inputs including steering, braking and throttle.

Counter-phase steering is enhanced in high-performance situations and torque is balanced to both axles, with a maximum 20/80 split to front and rear for more neutral behavior and to maximize track-oriented performance.

The Lamborghini Aventador’s naturally aspirated twelve cylinder, 6.5 liter engine outputs an additional 40 hp over its predecessor, to a maximum 740 hp, with a 690 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h is reached in 2.9 seconds, with a top speed of 350 km/h. Transmission is provided by Lamborghini’s lightweight Independent Shifting Rod (ISR) 7-speed shifting system, providing robotized gear shifts in up to 50 milliseconds.

The Aventador S comes with new, specially developed set of Pirelli P Zero tires. Designed to optimize steering, traction, lane changes and braking efficiency, the tires are specifically designed to respond to the dynamic behavior induced by the Lamborghini Rear-wheel Steering, ensuring handling consistency and driver feedback.

The training at the Mugello Circuit with the Aventador S enthralled the most seasoned supercar drivers and owners and the thrills on the tracks proved once again the brand’s superior road power that exudes only from a Lamborghini.

The “Audi.JKU deep learning center” will focus on self-learning functions in connection with cars

Michael Schmid, Head of the Audi Academy: “We are ensuring the knowledge transfer from research into practice”

Audi and the Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU) are to conduct joint research into the intelligent car of the future. For this purpose, the university and the brand with the Four Rings will now establish the “Audi.JKU deep learning center” in Linz. Through cooperation with the Institute for Bioinformatics headed by Prof. Sepp Hochreiter, Audi plans to promote the use of artificial intelligence in automobiles.

Prof. Sepp Hochreiter is one of Europe’s leading experts in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). He has made major contributions with fundamental research into deep‑learning technologies – a methodology that is based on the learning processes of the human brain. The long short‑term memory (LSTM) that he developed is used for speech‑recognition software in all smartphones all over the world. Hochreiter’s Institute for Bioinformatics at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU) has long been held in high regard by AI experts. Exchanges of opinions and experience with Audi on the subject of autonomous driving have been taking place for several years, and the two partners successfully concluded their first joint project in 2016. “The application of AI has enormous potential for self‑driving cars, not just for speech recognition, but even for predicting passengers’ intentions and needs, and reacting to them,” stated Prof. Sepp Hochreiter. “Thanks to LSTM networks, drivers in the future will feel safer in their cars than in their own living rooms.”

“With the establishment of the ‘Audi.JKU deep learning center,’ we are placing our cooperation on solid foundations,” said Michael Schmid, Head of the Audi Academy. “We are thus creating a win‑win situation for both sides. Audi is supporting the essential basic research in the field of artificial intelligence. At the same time, we are ensuring rapid knowledge transfer into practice and making contacts with talented young people.” As part of the cooperation, Audi will also support selected young scientists at JKU Linz.

The “Audi.JKU deep learning center” starts work with five projects. Research will be conducted for example into how cars driving in piloted mode in complex traffic situations can be exactly aware of and interpret their environment. Potential dangers must be recognized at an early stage and reaction times must be optimized. Another project deals with the use of artificial intelligence in vehicle sensors. “The latest findings are vital for us to make our cars more intelligent step by step,” explained Dr. Peter Steiner, Chief Executive of Audi Electronics Venture GmbH. Audi’s software company functions as a specialized interface and contact point for JKU Linz. “We have been developing our global network in the field of artificial intelligence for many years, and are delighted that we have been able to gain Prof. Hochreiter and his institute as an additional competent partner,” said Steiner.